Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Tuesday, 11 March 2014

BBC News

• RMT union general secretary Bob Crow diesGeneral secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union Bob Crow has died aged 52
• Extra train carriages between Windsor and Waterloo welcomedRail passenger groups have welcomed extra carriages on a busy train route between Windsor and Waterloo.
• Plans to extend high speed rail services in east KentTrain company Southeastern has unveiled plans to extend its high speed rail service in east Kent.
• Winners announced for cycle fundingA cycling boardwalk by the River Thames in Kingston forms part of one of the three winning projects awarded up to £30m.
• A83 road re-opens after landslideEngineers confirm the A83 at Rest And Be Thankful is open after being closed over the weekend due to landslide debris.

Financial Times

• Q&A: what happened to flight MH370?Three days after a Malaysia Airlines aircraft disappeared over the South China Sea there is still no sign of any wreckage or reason
• Gatwick sweetens second runway bidAirport says fewer people would be affected by noise than at Heathrow if another runway is built and will pay nearby households £1,000 a year

The Guardian

• Malaysian Airlines plane mystery: how can a flight disappear off radar?Flight MH370's disappearance from tracking could be due to its transponder being stopped deliberately, electrical failure or the plane's disintegrationLive blog: all today's developments in the search for MH370As the search continues for the missing Malaysian Airlines plane, more questions have been asked about how it is possible for a modern aircraft to simply vanish without trace. Some relatives of missing victims are accusing the authorities of withholding information.Theories about what happened remain speculative, but the widening search areas suggest that the authorities are genuinely in...
• Heathrow critics and supporters unite to call for airport noise ombudsmanNoise levels at Heathrow and other airports should be regulated by an independent ombudsman, according to an unlikely alliance of critics and supporters of the airport's expansion.The coming together of the two sides over the most contentious issue facing the west London airport in particular is also seen as a breakthrough in the political row over its future. The fresh initiative is spelt out in a letter to the Guardian, whose signatories include Zac Goldsmith, the Cons...

Network Rail

• National train performance for period 12 is 87.1% despite severe stormsThe wettest winter for almost 250 years with the network experiencing severe flooding, landslips and line closures, tested the rail industry’s resilience during a difficult period 12.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow bosses admit third runway is 'divisive' as public consultation closesHeathrow bosses today admitted the airport’s proposed third runway was “divisive” as they called on home-owners to make their views known before a public consultation closes this week.
• Heathrow bosses admit third runway is 'divisive' as public consultation closesHeathrow bosses today admitted the airport’s proposed third runway was “divisive” as they called on home-owners to make their views known before a public consultation closes this week.
• Boris Johnson heralds 'mini-Hollands' as London suburbs win £100million bike fundThree London boroughs will be made more cycling-friendly after they were today unveiled as the main winners of the Mayor’s £100 million fund to create “mini-Hollands”.

Doncaster Free Press

• MP calls for apology for rail death girl’s familyMP John Mann is calling for a full apology from Network Rail for its “callous disregard” for the families of people killed in level crossing accidents - including the family of Emma Lifsey who was tragically killed at Misson Springs near Finningley.    

Other Regional Press

• Appointments: Natalie Loughborough at Northern RailThe UK's largest rail operator has announced a string of director level appointments as it looks to the future
• On your bike! Huddersfield youngsters celebrate cycling status successGo Ride sessions at Newsome have achieved Sport England Clubmark recognition

Global Rail News

• Three consortia invited to bid for Sydney light railThree consortia have been invited to bid for a $1.6 billion contract to build and operate a new light rail line through Sydney. The NSW Government has named the three[...]
• Leipzig looks to buy new tramsLeipzig’s transport authority (LVB) has invited rolling stock manufacturers to submit expressions of interest as the city looks to replace more of the city’s classic Tatra trams. LVB plans to[...]
• Costain wins Crossrail north east spur contractCostain has been awarded a £150 million contract to prepare a section of railway between East London and Essex for the start of Crossrail services in 2018. Design work will[...]
• Track inspections begin for €2.75bn rail maintenance programmeIndependent inspection teams in Germany have begun analysing the condition of 5,000 kilometres of track to establish how the country will spend its €2.75 billion maintenance budget in 2014. Germany’s[...]
• More people using high-speed services between France and SwitzerlandTGV Lyria saw traffic increase by 18 per cent to 5.9 million passengers in 2013. The high-speed service linking France and Switzerland also recorded an improved turnover of €365 million[...]
• National Electrification Programme – six into four will goTo see the extent to which the electrification programme is ramping up in this country, one only has to look at the budgets. In the five-year control period that is just ending (CP4), there was a total spend of £260 million. That in itself is a significant amount of money. But in CP5, which stretches […]
• Work halted after remains found on Nottingham tram siteWork was suspended on the site of tram works in Nottingham after human remains were discovered by contractors Taylor Woodrow. Police cordoned off the site in Poplars Court, Lenton Lane,[...]

Aviation Industry

• New report highlights a new runway at Heathrow or Gatwick would mean big increases in passenger feesA new report published today by the AEF casts doubt on the feasibility of building a new runway at either Gatwick or Heathrow. The study, “Who Would Pay for a New Runway”1 (attached) by Brendon Sewill2, and published by the AEF3, shows that a new runway at Heathrow would be likely to mean an increase in […]
• No trace of Malaysia Airlines 777 three days into search International search efforts have been unable to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777-200 three days after it vanished. read more
• Virgin America plans Dallas expansionAirline to bid for two gates at DAL
• Qatar and Emirates defend female cabin crew policiesQatar CEO and Emirates CCO say policies on pregnancy and marriage are fair